HATTIESBURG — Just because Southern Miss doesn't play a game this Saturday doesn't mean the Golden Eagles don't have a few questions to answer this week.

Sitting at 2-2 with its non-conference play behind it, Southern Miss heads into the bye week for one weekend of rest before seven-straight Conference USA games to finish its schedule. Already commanding a 1-0 record in C-USA play, the Golden Eagles open league play at North Texas before returning to Hattiesburg for homecoming against UTSA.

In the meantime, Southern Miss has a few areas in which it needs to rebound and grow, coming off a hard-fought loss against No. 10 Auburn. Here are three questions Southern Miss needs answered during its bye week.

1. How healthy will USM be?

USM's Tuesday practice looked a little bit like a fashion runway for walking boots. Major contributors such as wide receiver Jaylond Adams and defensive lineman Delmond Landry sported protective boots Tuesday, and coach Jay Hopson said he expects to hold "a few" players out of practice on Wednesday out of precaution.

Bye week is a time to get healthy. But how quickly will these injuries heal? And how available will these players be when the team makes its trip to Denton, Texas? These might be the most important questions to answer this week.

2. Where do you go from Auburn?

Injuries aside, USM's close loss against Auburn has the potential to be a draining one. Southern Miss played four quarters against one of the 10 best teams in the FBS. As impressive as that game was, teams have a reputation of falling off in the game directly following a big one. When you devote so much energy into winning one game, sometimes it's hard to recapture that energy moving forward.

It's unlikely that'll be a problem for USM. The Golden Eagles have been preaching the value of conference games all season, and getting an extra week to prepare for a very talented North Texas team should help them keep their focus.

3. Can USM keep up its pass rush prowess?

Southern Miss flashed a pass rush against Auburn that it hadn't shown in its first month of play. Through three games, USM had two sacks. Against Auburn, the Golden Eagles logged three sacks. Defensive end Jacques Turner and linebacker Sherrod Ruff led the way for the rush unit, totaling five combined pressures, while the rest of the team came away with two.

It's important to keep the focus on pressuring the quarterback heading into a game against North Texas, a team that throws the ball more than any other team in C-USA, and the ninth-most of any team in the FBS.